With the approval and support of the Wildlife Protection Office under the Ministry of Agriculture, CAS Institute of Hydrobiology in Wuhan (IHB) joined hands with Baiji.org Foundation in carry out a pilot expedition on Baiji, a Yangtze freshwater dolphin, from March 17 to 24.

The baiji is the world's most endangered cetacean, it is listed as 'Critically Endangered' by the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN 1996), and its prospects for survival are considered to be extremely doubtful. The number of the baiji has shown a continuous decline since the 1970s and now is thought to number no more than a few tens of individuals. If the species is to be saved conservation needs to be immediately targeted where it will have maximum positive impact on the species. Effective measures of conservation of the baiji are therefore dependent upon up to date information on distribution and abundance.

The expedition, under the Baiji.org-IHB Initiative, is planned to conduct a status assessment survey to collect scientifically robust data on the distribution, abundance and density of the baiji and Yangtze finless porpoise. The research team consists of cetacean specialists from China, US, UK and Swiss.

By deploying state-of-the-art acoustical monitoring equipment and applying cutting-edge dolphin surveying techniques, the dolphins were located about 120 times during the 250 km journey up the Yangtze River and some important activity regions for the animal were pinpointed by the team.

The pilot is a fundamental component of the Range-Wide (IHB-Baiji.org) Yangtze Freshwater Dolphin Expedition planned for this fall, with an objective of providing Chinese decision-makers with a reliable data and information platform for designing and implementing conservation management factors for the entire Yangtze River and its critically endangered flagship inhabitants.